Without a doubt, Ireland’s cultural influence in the United States has been greater than many other small western European nations. One only needs to think of plays written by Eugene O’Neill, the music of U2 or the films of Irish-American John Ford to see that this impact has been substantial and sustaining.
It is with this backdrop of highlighting the arts of Ireland that the world premiere of Irish composer Gerald Barry’s new opera, The Importance of Being Earnest, will be staged at Walt Disney Concert Hall on April 7 and 8. Based on Oscar Wilde’s comedy and co-commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and London’s Barbican Centre, the opera will be performed as a concert (no costumes or staging).
Stephen Richardson will sing the role of Lady Bracknell, joining a stage tradition of males in that part. Also featured are tenor Gordon Gietz as John Worthing, and soprano Hila Plitmann as the ingénue, Cecily Cardew. British-born born conductor Thomas Adés will be behind the baton.
The production is part of Imagine Ireland: a Year of Irish Arts in America, a program of cultural events put together by the government of Ireland to promote the Irish arts and tourism, and to further cultural collaboration between the U.S. and Ireland. More information on tickets and performance schedules can found at laphil.com/.
Classical music will be on tap in Culver City Saturday, April 2, in a program called On Our Way Up, which will feature the winners of the Parness Young Artists Concerto Competition. Put on by the Culver City Symphony under the direction of maestro Frank Fetta, the competition supports the next generation of musicians, whose winners are given the opportunity to perform with the orchestra. The concert will be held at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium at 8 p.m. and admission is free. However, donations are needed to help keep this competition going into the future. Musicians performing on violin and cello from the Junior Division (ages 14 and under) will play pieces by Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Sarasate, while the second half of the concert will feature Orchestral works by Brahms.
A double bill of jazz acts will be on hand at Royal-T Cafe in Culver City on Wednesday, April 13.The show will be put on by adventuresome jazz promoter Rocco Somazzi. First on the bill at 8 p.m. will be the Matt Mayhall Trio, featuring the composer and leader on drums, along with Adam Benjamin on piano, Rhodes and effects, Tim Young on guitar and Billy Mohler playing bass. While this group of young musicians certainly has the chops to play extended solos, on this night they’ll be playing cool instrumental music that strikes the right balance between complexity and sparseness.
Then at 9:30, the Kurosawa Brothers take the stage in a duel guitar concert. Kai Kurosawa is one of the leading figures in tap-style guitar playing, which he’ll be playing on his 24-stringed Beartrax – Big Mama Bear, which he designed (don’t get in his way or the bear might bite you). His brother Goh will also be playing guitar and is quickly being recognized as one of the top solo guitar instrumentalists. Cover is $10 general admission and $5 for students, so get inspired and make the trek to 8910 Washington Blvd.
The Jazz Bakery’s movable feast continues its journey this Sunday with a matinee show featuring the songs of jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughn, with a show called Remembering Sassy: the Songs of Sarah Vaughn. Los Angeles-based vocalist Janis Mann will be paired with Grammy Award-winning pianist Bill Cunliffe in a tribute to the legendary singer at Keyboard Concepts Recital Studio in Santa Monica, at 3232 Santa Monica Blvd. This intimate 70-seat, in-store concert space is a new venue for Keyboard Concepts and the Bakery. The concert starts at 3 p.m. and tickets are $25, with student rush tickets prices at $15. More info on the show can be found at
jazzbakery.org.
Jonathan Weiss is a Los Angeles-based music supervisor for film, TV and advertising. Email him at jonjaz@aol.com